St. Brigid of Kildare
Brigid was born into a time and a country where there were only two classes of women; free women and “bond maidens”, otherwise known as slave women. In reality, to the 20th century mind, there was very little difference between the two. A slave woman was bound to her master’s home. The “free” woman was free to choose which home she would be bound to until her death, either the husband’s home or her parent’s home. For, “any kind of existence for women apart from home life had never even been formulated…” (BOI. Pgs. 4-6) Brigid was to alter, expand and even change both of these choices and the world forever.
In 452 or 453 A.D., King Dubthac had relations with one of his slave women, Brocessa. Although we do not know for certain, we might surmise that he had raped Brocessa. For we do know that Brocessa was a Christian and so, she probably would not have willingly consented to sleeping with a married man, not without some form of protest. When the Queen learned that Brocessa was pregnant, she was very angry and ordered Dubthac to sell Brocessa. It is a very telling thing that Dubthac obeyed his wife. Not only did he obey her, but he was certain to sell Brocessa “to a distant
Buyer”! (Emphasis mine. BOI. Pgs. 18-19) So it was, Brigid was born in a distant land and amid signs and wonders. There were rumors of prophecies, which “told the future greatness of this child.” (BOI. Pgs. 18-19) There were signs in the heavens and a pillar of fire over Brocessa’s hut. Then there were those three mysterious priests who had baptized and named Brigid, who might have actually been angels. Finally, there was the greatest sign of all, Brigid had been born a royal-heir and a slave, just like the Christ. (BOI. Pgs. 18-19)
Although Dubthac had sold Brocessa to that distant Druid, he had not included Brigid in the deal and so, according to the law, Brigid was returned to Dubthac when she had become old enough to work. (BOI. Pgs. 18-19) When Brigid came home it was not as a princess, but as a slave. Brigid, even at that young age, showed the marks of her mother’s Christian training. For Brigid believed in both work and in Christian duty, and she was as faithful in fulfilling the requirements of both as she could be. There were times, however, when she would find that her work would be in direct conflict with her Christian duty. In these times Christian duty prevailed. Such as the time when she was in the hills tending to the King’s sheep and a poor man came begging, although Brigid’s work was to bring home every last lamb, her Christian duty was to be charitable. She had nothing to give the man, other than one of the King’s sheep and that is exactly what the beggar was given. (BOI. Pg. 21) There is another story which tells of Brigid’s generosity. “Once, five guests arrived and she was given five pieces of bacon to cook for them… a hungry dog licked her hand imploringly. Brigid could not resist him. She gave him a piece.” (BOI. Pg. 21) Once again, the Queen was angry with Dubthac and once again, she ordered him to sell his slave. Why should it have been any other way? After all, in the Queen’s eyes Brigid’s bloodline must have appeared to be the bloodline of thieves. Brocessa had stolen her husband’s affections and now, Brigid was stealing their fortune, piece by piece and was giving it all away. At least, so it must have been in the Queen’s mind. Dubthac seems to have been a man who found no price too high to pay, when it came to haggling for peace in his home. So, once again, Dubthac found himself willing to sell his slave. This time, however, he intended to get something out of the deal for himself.
Dubthac packed Brigid into his own carriage and drove her to Leinster, intending to sell her to the King there. As the two Kings talked, Brigid cheerfully gave a beggar Dubthac’s jeweled sword. In this way, the King of Leinster learned of her boundless generosity and clearly saw that if he were to take Brigid into his own home, there would be no peace in his home either. So, “Brigid was taken back home””. (BOI. Pg 24-25)
It was shortly after this episode in Brigid’s life that Dubthac granted her freedom and he began to treat her as his daughter, instead of as his slave and property. As Curtayne points out, the reasons that Dubthac would grant Brigid freedom are open to speculation. He may have done so, acting on the advice of the King Leinster. He may have done so because St. Patrick’s work had been made granting slaves their freedom a popular act. He may have done so because he hoped to marry Brigid to a potential ally. He may have done so because he realized that he did love his daughter. Or, it’s possible that it was a combination of all of the above reasons and more besides. It is open to speculation and in the end, all we know is that he did grant Brigid her freedom. (BOI. Pgs. 27-28)
With her new freedom, Brigid performed an act that was to characterize the rest of her life’s work, she freed her mother from slavery, as she would work to free all women from slavery.
When Brigid arrived at the Druid’s dairy, she found her mother in poor health, “but still engaged in the heavy labors of quern and churn. Brigid went to her and by the simple expedient of personally undertaking the work, enabled her mother to rest.” (BOI. Pg. 28) As was her habit, Brigid gave to everyone who begged of her. The Druid and his wife heard tales of this “new” dairymaid who gave away milk, butter and whatever else was on hand. Anxious over their profits and property, they flew to the dairy to see what was happening for themselves. It is reported that when the Druid and his wife arrived, they did indeed find Brigid giving away milk, butter and whatever else was on hand. However, they discovered yet another thing, that no matter how much Brigid gave away, the supply never diminished. It was this “loaves and fishes” type of miracle, we are told, that won the conversion of the Druid and his wife. Their first act, as Christians, was to grant Brocessa her freedom and promised to provide for her comfort for the rest of her days, out of gratitude to the Saint and God. Brigid, seeing that her mother was now in good hands and would be well provided for, felt that she could now return to her father. (BOI. Pgs. 29-31)
Sometime after Brigid returned home, Dubthac felt that he had come up with a plan that would please everyone, a plan that would keep the peace in his household. So, he announced that he had arranged for Brigid to marry a wealthy and “chaste” (Christian?) poet. (BOI. Pg. 32) The Queen would be happy because Brigid would be giving away someone else’s fortune. He, Dubthac, would be happy because this marriage would make for an advantageous alliance. Brigid, in Dubthac’s mind, had every reason to be happy. For her fiancé was a man of wealth and true power, he would not only be in a position to take care of her and quite comfortably for all of their days, but he was also in a position to grant her every request on the behalf of others. Moreover, he was a “chaste” man and therefore, unlikely to offend Brigid’s Christian senses. Surely, in Dubthac’s mind, the plan was perfect for everyone involved and it could not fail. Perfect though it may have been, Brigid rejected the arrangement and refused to even consider the idea of marriage, to anyone, for any reason. Instead, she announced her plan to devote herself completely to Christ, to live out the rest of her days as “a virgin of Christ”. (BOI. Pgs. 31-34) This must have given Dubthac and his Queen heart failure, because the religious women of that day did not have communities to live in. Instead, they were completely dependent upon their families for moral and financial support. “…often, too, they were persecuted by their families.” (BOI. Pg. 36) Certainly, Brigid knew all of this and it is just as certain, she was as horrified of that destiny as they were. No, Brigid would not live out the rest of her days under her parent’s roof, in the shadow of her family, dependent upon them for everything. She had another and truly breathtaking idea, an even burning ambition. Growing up in the wake of St. Patrick’s work, Brigid saw that the Saint had established religious communities, which had proven to be capable to transform an entire country. “Within his lifetime or soon after his death, the Irish slave trade came to a halt, and other forms of violence, such as murder and intertribal warfare, decreased… he established indigenous monasteries and convents, whose inmates by their way of life reminded the Irish that the virtues of lifelong faithfulness, courage and generosity were actually attainable by ordinary human beings and that the sword was not the only instrument for structuring a society.” (HTISC. Pg. 110) These achievements could never have been accomplished by one religious person alone. Moreover, the community supported and encouraged each of the members, whereas, lone religious persons were often exposed to persecution. Finally, in Brigid’s eyes, the community meant freedom. That is to say, each member would be able to put his/her best talents to use, doing the work that he/she enjoyed, for the benefit of the whole community. As opposed to being forced to do labor that one wasn’t particularly fitted to do, as slaves often were. For all of these reasons and more, to be sure, Brigid had decided to follow in the footsteps of St. Patrick, to free the enslaved and to establish religious community.
“The precise location of Brigid’s first community cannot be established with certitude; nor the order of her foundations; nor their number.” (BOI. Pg. 41) In other words, we know next to nothing about this early period of Brigid’s religious career specifically. What is remembered, however, is the astonishing methods that Brigid used to meet her goals. In a world where no woman had ever been separated from the hearth, whether that hearth belonged to her father, husband or master, Brigid seems to have never been inside any house at all, much less tending to a hearth! We are told that Brigid began her first community with seven other women. (BOI. Pg. 36) When that particular community had grown and had become self-sustaining, Brigid picked a companion or a couple of companions and they moved to another town. There, they would evangelize, perform charitable works and build another community. When that community, too, had become self-supporting, Brigid left it to found yet another community in another town. The Irish world had never before seen a woman like Brigid and with all of her traveling, all of her work, she was attracting a great deal of attention. “The women of the Seven Kingdoms looked up from the darkness of their discouragment. And so unerring was Brigid’s guidance, so winged with resolve, so touched with divine fire, they gave her an instant and ardent response.” (BOI. Pg. 38-39) So it was, that none of Brigid’s communities were characterized as hermitages, or known as communities that were devoted solely to silence and prayer. Rather, Brigid’s communities were as dynamic as Brigid, herself. They devoted themselves to all types of apostolic works for and within the society that they lived in, for the salvation of all souls and for the glory of God.
Brigid captured the attention of Ireland’s Kings and Bishops too, for they all admired her work and success. We are told that Erc, the Bishop of Ardfert and an intimate of St. Patrick, wanted Brigid to found a community in his region. (BOI. Pg. 46) The King of Leinster, too, had asked Brigid to found a community in his kingdom. (BOI. Pg. 49) Indeed, she became so popular, “that all the Bishops of Ireland soon required Brigid to found a convent in their districts.” (BOI. Pg. 53)
Brigid’s most well known community and the site of her greatest achievements is the Kildare community. The community grew very quickly and the settlement eventually became “an immense double-monastery – that is, a foundation that admitted both men and women.” (HTISC. Pg. 172) Unlike Brigid’s other communities, Kildare was not only self-supporting, it supported the society that lived in its midst. The monastery employed a blacksmith, a carpenter, cooks, librarians, weavers, teachers, shepherds and many other tradesmen, when these positions could not be filled by the monks or nuns themselves.
The Kildare monastery became very well known not only for its size but also for its school and the products of that school. “There began to pour out all over Ireland, from this school at Kildare, quantities of bells, crosiers, chalices, patens, bookrests and shrines to supply the wants of the mission. But Kildare’s special product was manuscripts… gorgeously illuminated.” (BOI. Pg. 54) Although neither text speaks of Brigid as a teacher, she seems to have been credited for the excellence of education found at Kildare and is remembered as a patroness of education. For we are told of an ancient statue of Brigid, which holds a book and quill. “She was an intellectual dairymaid, a cowherd with culture, a field-laborer promoting art and literature.” (BOI> pgs. 71-72) It is possible that Brigid did indeed have quite some measure of involvement with the Kildare school, aside from her role as abbess. Especially when one considers, once her father had granted her freedom, Brigid may have been given a royal education, to prepare her for a royal marriage. In which case, she would have been more than qualified to be directly involved with the curriculum of the Kildare school. On the other hand, even if she had remained uneducated, no one could question Brigid’s clarity of vision or her simple wisdom, which had made her mission such a huge success.
Whatever its activities, Brigid was the abbess of the monastery, she had directed and was responsible for all of them. Her previous successes and the success of the Kildare community spoke not only of a wisdom that could not be disputed, but also the blessing of God. So it was, “every outstanding personage in the Irish ecclesiastical world of her day began to seek her out… they put their problems before her and accepted her solution.” (BOI. Pg. 60) This statement, taken alone, would lead us to believe that the Bishops of Brigid’s day had recognized her as a Saint and voluntarily gave her their obedience. Which is precisely what the androcentric, Roman patriarchy would like for us to believe. However, there may be evidence for us to believe otherwise. The early Roman church’s structure had been borrowed from the structure of Roman government. A priest had been given authority over a church, but was accountable to a Bishop, who had authority over all the churches in his diocese. For a diocese to exist, in truth, cities had to exist. Ireland, however, did not have cities and so, Celtic Church-structure was quite different from that of the Roman Church. It was Patrick who had brought Christianity to Ireland, who founded the first religious communities and who ordained Ireland’s first priests and Bishops. Patrick’s Bishops did not have dioceses to oversee however, so he put them to good use by making them advisors to Kings and other nobility. But then, to safeguard these Bishop-advisors from bribery, Patrick made them (the Bishops) accountable to the nearest abbot or abbess. (HTISC> pgs. 109-110 and 172) Put this information together with the knowledge that “before Brigid died” she was the Mother Abbess of 13,000 nuns”, and we get the idea that she had inherited Patrick’s position of primatial abbess, or primatial Bishop of Ireland. In which case, all these ecclesiastical dignitaries were accountable to her, voluntarily or otherwise. It is believed too, that this position of authority carried with it the duties of; preaching, celebrating mass, hearing confessions, ordaining priests and Bishops and all other priestly duties with which we are familiar today. (HTISC. Pgs. 175-176)
One of the most endearing qualities that Brigid possessed from her youngest years and for all of her days, was her earthiness. We are told, “it was Brigid’s habit to converse with Kings as equals and to treat slave-girls as sisters, whose freedom she passionately claimed.” (BOI. Pg. 20) It isn’t very difficult to see that Brigid never allowed her successes, popularity, power or authority to fill her with arrogant pride. Nor did she ever allow these things to separate her from common men/women or the duties that filled their days and nights. For example, we are told that when St. Brendan came to visit Brigid; “She came from her sheep to welcome Brendan.” (BOI. Pgs. 71-71) Until the day she died, she continued to work in the fields and dairies. She continued to share her days and nights with the common-folk, as opposed to sharing her time solely with Kings and dignitaries, and as before, Brigid’s hands were always filled with good gifts for these poor people. Such as the time when Brigid gave a naked man Conlaeth’s (Bishop of Kildare) richest vestments to wear, for she had nothing else to give the man! “She weighed only two things: The alleviation of human misery against the dignity of worship, and made her choice. But would that have been Conlaeth’s choice, and can one imagine that he was pleased?” (BOI. Pg. 76) Truthfully, Brigid would not have felt guilty, if the Bishop were upset. In her mind, every poor beggar was Christ in disguise and she could easily have written this ancient Gaelic poem.
I saw a stranger yestereen;
I put food in the eating place,
Drink in the drinking place,
Music in the listening place,
And in the sacred names of the Triune
He blessed me and my house
My cattle and my dear ones.
And the lark said in her song:
Often, often, often,
Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise:
Often, often, often
Goest the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
(BOR. Pg. 22)
Brigid passionately believed this to be so, and this is why she never permitted herself to become so entangled with the duties and responsibilities of authority that she would become separated from those closest to her heart, the poor in Christ.
Brigid is reported to have died in her seventies, on February 1, 524 A.D. We are not given a cause of death, there is no report of violence, foul play or illness, no report that she died peacefully of old age. We simply do not know of the circumstances surrounding her death. (BOI. Pg. 115-116) Nor do we know where her grave site is. Originally, she is said to have been buried within the walls of the Kildare Church. Later, her faithful seemed to fear for the safety of her remains, so to prevent them from being disturbed they moved her to Down-Patrick. Eventually, St. Patrick and Columcille were also buried there, alongside Brigid. However, “the identification of this grave was lost… Today the position of this tomb is again doubtful.” (BOI. Pg. 116) Brigid’s remains may be lost, but her spirit can easily be found with those who passionately work for freedom, charity and community, in the name of Christ.
Bibliography
Brigid of Ireland
Alice Curtayne
Sheed and Ward
New York 1954
How the Irish Saved Civilization
Thomas Cahill
Anchor books Doubleday
New York 1995
The Book of Runes
Ralph Blum
St. Martin’s Press
New York 1982
